Tractor-controlling device.



E. W. POCOCK.

' TRACTOR CONTROLLING DEVICE.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17. 1918.

Patented Dec. 30,1919.

"v2 wm W hm a MN ,w m

mist

MR KW W I! I is a specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONSIN.

. ERNEST WEEKS POCOCK, 0F WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO 3'. I.CASE THRESHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OI.WIS

TRACTOR-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 17, '1918. Serial No. 240.367.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST W. P000015, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, haveinvented. certain new and useful Improvements in Tractor ControllingDevices, of which the following In the use of tractors it is thepractice to attach implements thereto to be hauled about the field orotherwise, and in order to obviate the requirement of an attendant uponeach vehicle, I employ a simple and readily controlled steering devicefor directing the tractor, and devices for manipulating the mechanismsfor starting and stopping the same, all of which are under convenientand positive control of a single operator positioned upon the implement.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a tractorof a well known type, showing a binder attachedthereto, and which illustrates the application of my improvements; Fig.2 a side elevation partly in section of my improved steering rod andparts associated therewith, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional' viewofsaid rod taken on the dotted line, 3, 3 in Fig. 2.

In said drawing, 5 indicates a tractor of anysuitable design, to which abinder, 6, or other implement may be flexibly attached by a hitch, as 7.Y a

Said tractor 5 is provided with a steering post, 8, having the usualsteeringv worm, 9, which engages a toothed segment, 10, as indicated,which latter communicates through rod, '11, with the front axle of thetractor in any appropriate manner, the upper end of said post beingprovided with a steering wheel, 12, for manipulating the same and thesteering mechanisms connected therewith. Also, as is common, thetractoris equipped with a clutch lever, 13, which communicates with its clutchmechanism (not shown), through a connecting rod, 14, said steering wheeland. clutch lever being 4 within convenient reach ,of the operator.-

erate both vehicles, I am enabled in the ing following manner to readilyequip such vehicle so that said tractor can be controlled from aposition upon the implement. The ordinary steering-wheel, 12, is removedfrom post 8, and in its stead I afiix a gear-wheel, 15, of any suitablecharacter. As said post Patented nee. so, 1919;

is commonly arranged in inclined position,

I apply thereto a .bracket embodying an arm, lation to said post, theupper end of said arm being provided with a bearing, 17 At its lower endsaid arm has a shoulder, 18, adapted to conform to the contour of thesteering post and which is attached to said post by a clamp, 19, securedto said shoulder by bolts, 20.. or in any suitable manner. In bearing 17I insert a rod, 21, and mount at the end thereof a gear-wheel, 22, whichengages gear 15 to actuate the same. Said rod 2'1 is rovided with auniversal joint, 23, communicating with a rod extension, 24:, whichis-telescopically mounted in,a tubular shaft, 25, said lattef'shaft alsobeing provided'with a universal oint, 26, to which an extension rod,26', is attached and which latter is supported on the implement inabearing, 27, and extends rearwardly there-- from through anotherbearing, bearings it is rotatably mounted, the longitudinal movement ofsaid rod being prevented by collars, 29, 29', or other appropriate meansassociated with bearing 28.

-' This sequential arrangement of .rods and shaft constitutes acontinuous flexible steerrod communicating with the steering post of thetractor and the implement at- 28, in which tached thereto and insecuring steeringwheel 12 at the end thereof I produce substantially asconvenient a steering rod arrangement for controlling the direction fromtheattached implement as existed on the tractor before the removal ofsaid steeringwheel. In this manner an operator on the implement canreadily control the action of the tractor, and as steering-wheel 12remains in fixed position within his convenient grasp, and as thetelescoping steering rod. becomes automatically longitudinally Iadjustable according to the turning or flexing of the tractor, thelatter can be positively steered in any direction at will,notwithstanding the angular or other relation of the same to theimplement which it draws. The rotary flexibility of said shaft, ofcourse, is provided through the universal joints indicated in Fig. 1,while its positive longitudinal adjustment is permitted through thecharacter of the telescopic shaft sections indicated in Figs. 2 and 3,which control said Sections against independent rotary movement. Saidsections may be square in cross section, or splined or otherwisearranged so. that rotary motion will be transmitted to section 24.

As it becomes necessary to control the starting and stopping of thetractor, I provide flexible means for this purpose, simple inarrangement and operation, and within convenient reach of the operator,who is thus not only enabled to have complete steering control of thetractor as heretofore explained, but at will may stop and start the sameor regulate the speed thereof in a simple and convenient manner, bymeans 'which conform to the flexibility of the movements of the tractorand implement attached thereto. This I accomplish by a rope or cable,one end of which is attached to clutch rod 13 and passes around apulley, 30,

or other suitable guide to a bracket, 31, through which it passes andreturns, its opposite end being also secured to said clutch rod, 13.Suflicient slack is given the rope or cable to not interfere with theturnin of the tractor in different directions, and y supporting thestrands, 32, '33, thereof in the bracket in the manner indicated theyare kept apart so that the operator may instantly manipulate eitherwithout confusion as to the results, that is to say, when he desires tothrow the clutch in one position he pulls the upper strand 32, which,through the rod 13, actuates said connecting rod 14 to shift the clutch,and when. the latter is to be reversed the strand 33 is pulled, whichimparts an opposite effect on the clutch rod; in other words, anoperator will know that the rope or cable, passing through or about oneportion of the bracket 31 is for starting and the other for stopping thetractor. It will be understood, of course, that I do not desire to limitmyself to the precise form of bracket or rope and'controllingarrangements shown, as any appropriate means substantially of similarcharacter for maintaining said rope in operative relation with theclutch and within convenient reach of the operator may be employed.

As will be observed, my improved steering attachment can be readilyapplied to a trac tor and implement with slight effort and time bysimply removing the regular steering wheel 12 and installing the bracket16 and gear 15, together with the telescoping flexible steering rod andparts associated tachments may be installed upon tractors already inuse.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination, with a tractor and a portable implement attachedthereto, of a. steering-post on said tractor, a gear-Wheel thereon, abracket on said post comprising a bearing, an extensible rod mounted inand having a flexible joint adjacent-said bearing, a gear on said rodmeshing with said first-mentioned gear, means on said implement forsupporting said rod in stationary position, a flexible shaft in said rodin ad Vance of said supporting means, and means for actuating said gearsthrough said rod.

2. The combination, with a tractor and a portable implement attachedthereto, said tractor embodying steering means, a removable bracketsecured to said steering means, a flexible shaft section engaging saidsteering means, a shaft section telescoping upon said first named shaftsection, a shaft section mounted upon said implement in stationaryposition, and a universal joint for connecting said two lastmentioned'sections.

In testimony-whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of tWowitnesses.

ERNEST WEEKS POCOCK.

Witnesses:

G. HALL, HELEN M. ROBINSON.

